Although this series was created between July 1973 and December 1979, some documents dated prior to July 1, 1973 are also included.

Part of:

Record Group 59: General Records of the Department of State

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically into one-year blocks and thereunder into subseries. Some of the airgrams are arranged alphabetically by Foreign Service post. The other airgrams, oversized enclosures to airgrams, microfilm, and microfilm printouts are arranged by real number and thereunder by frame number.

Function and Use:

These records were used to facilitate the conduct of American foreign relations by the Secretary of State, American Ambassadors in foreign countries, and other employees of the Department of State.

Scope & Content Note:

This series consists of telegrams, airgrams, memoranda, correspondence, reports, diplomatic notes, and related material. The materials relate to all aspects of American bilateral and multilateral foreign relations and routine administrative and operational activities of the Department of State and its Foreign Service posts.

The telegrams convey official information about policy proposals and implementation, program activities, or personnel and post operations between the Department and posts abroad.

After telegrams were transmitted, they were preserved in a central database that contained the text of telegrams and other written documents. Each text file record potentially contains the following types of information: concepts; date; drafter; original microfilm roll; who the telegram is from; office; subject; Traffic Analysis by Geography and Subject (TAGS); who the telegram is to; message number; and message.

The series also includes records which were not preserved in electronic form. These records include airgrams, memoranda, correspondence, reports, diplomatic notes, and related material that documented Department of State policies in the Central Foreign Policy Files. Also included were documents with national security-classifications such as Top Secret (TS), Restricted Data (RD), Formerly Restricted Data (FRD), or No Distribution (NODIS). An index to the airgrams and some of these records is also included in this series. The index potentially contains the following types of information to identify specific documents: concepts; date; document number; the original microfilm roll; from; subject; TAGS; and who the document was to.

Access Restrictions:

Restricted - Partly. FOIA (b)(1) National Security. There are data files that are classified and fully exempt from disclosure under FOIA (b)(1), FOIA (b)(3), and FOIA (b)(6).

There are data files that are unclassified or declassified, but are fully exempt from disclosure under FOIA (b)(3) and FOIA (b)(6).

There are data files that are unclassified or declassified, but are or potentially otherwise partly restricted and exempt from disclosure under FOIA (b)(6). NARA has or can create public use versions of these files.

There are some data files that are unclassified and unrestricted.

The microfilm reels are all restricted fully for FOIA (b)(1), FOIA (b)(3), and FOIA (b)(6). The paper records are restricted partly for FOIA (b)(1), FOIA (b)(3), and FOIA (b)(6).

General Note:

The State Archiving System (SAS) was the official foreign policy database that housed the Central Foreign Policy Files at the Department of State. The agency maintained records of all official correspondence, communications, and documentation relating to conducting the foreign relations of the United States in SAS. The Automated Data System (ADS) is a predecessor name for the SAS.

Documents dated December 31, 1976 and earlier but microfilmed after 1976 are still with the Department of State although the indexing information on them may be part of this series. Please contact the Department of State's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) office for access.

The telegrams on the Access to Archival Databases (AAD) include only unclassifed, unrestricted files which have been determined to be of permanent historical value.

These records are popularly known as the "State Department Cables" or the "State Department Telegrams".